Help me.
Who's there ?
What do you want ?
Please. Help us all.
A ghost. I saw a ghost.
Where ?
In the woods,
outside of town.
What makes you think
it was a ghost ?
It was around me,
everywhere I moved.
It seemed to glide over the earth.
It was horrible.
I'll go take a look...
- you stay here.
- No problem.
It's all right.
A ghost ?
Xena, I'm here.
- What do you want ?
- You, Xena.
You.
Behind you.
I'm a ghost, Xena.
The living can't touch me.
- I've missed you so much.
- I've missed you too, Xena.
I'm glad you came... I've got a lot
I want to talk to you about.
We don't have time for that now.
What's wrong ?
Why are you here ?
Something terrible has
gone wrong in the Underworld.
Good souls are in danger...
We need your help.
How ?
The Alconian lake. If you just...
Hurry !
Listen. Would you just listen ?
Now, I know that you care for Marcus,
but you shouldn't be doing this.
Why ?
Well, for starters,
he didn't finish his instructions.
Maybe he didn't mean for you
to dive to the bottom of the lake,
knowing for being unusually deep.
What else could he have meant ?
Consider the consequences
if you're wrong.
Even if you reach the bottom,
you won't have enought air left
to make it back to the surface.
Then I'll make it to
the Underworld one way or another.
It's not funny.
The man I love has asked
for my help to save good souls.
I have to try this.
Yes, you do.
Well, I'll camp here and I'll wait.
In a time of ancient gods...
...warlords...
...and kings...
A land in turmoil
cried out for a hero...
She was Xena...
a mighty princess,
forged in the heat of battle...
...The power...
...The passion...
...The danger...
Her courage will
change the world...
- You must be Charon.
- No, I'm Talula, the dancing girl.
Of course I'm Charon. Who else would
be crazy enough to be down here ?
Mind you, with all the changes
that are going on,
I could be losing a job soon.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
I refuse to take any more dead
people across, unless they got a coin.
Charon, I'm not dead.
- You're not dead ?
- No.
- You mean you're alive ?
- Yes.
Ay-yi-yi. What is it all coming to ?
Charon, I know something's gone
wrong on the other side.
Oh, I know something's gone wrong
on the other side.
Yeah, well, you can say that again.
We got everything turned upside-down.
All the wicked are in the Elysian fields.
All the good guys are down
in Tartarus.
And now we got tourists already.
I want to help set things right.
You wanna help set things right ?
When Hades can't do anything ?
This, I gotta see.
Here, get on board.
She's gonna help solve the problem.
Hey, you're gonna be back, you know,
under different circumstances,
if you know what I mean.
- Can't wait.
- Yeah, well,
bring a coin next time.
Don't be scared.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Here...
I'm here to set things right.
Thank you. Have you seen my Mommy ?
It feels so good to hold you.
I've thought about you a lot.
I know...
Whenever a living being thinks
of us, we can hear it.
Thanks. It's meant a lot to me.
I know the problem...
the Innocents are here in Tartarus.
How did this happen ?
You ever hear of
a mad-man named Atyminius ?
Yeah, of course. The old men
in my village used to try
and scare young girls by saying that,
if we didn't behave, he'd come and get us.
The story had it that he specialized
in killing brides before their weddings.
Not just killing them. He liked
cutting them into little pieces.
This guy stands out as
a bad one even down here.
He's somehow managed to steal
Hades' helmet of invisibility,
and he used it to confine Hades
and turn this place upside down.
He loves torturing innocents
and rewarding fiends.
Where is he now ?
Well, he moves around,
but he likes the pleasures
of the Elysian fields.
That's the best place to find him.
- Can we go there ?
- Yeah. I know way.
When we go in there, will anyone
notice we don't belong ?
No one pays that much attention
to anything in the Elysian fields.
Come on ! Try it !
They have everything they could possibly
want and yet they want more.
Strange thing...
They're not happy even in Paradise.
- You know him ?
- I killed him.
You ended up with the wicked
after all, Xena.
I guess it's hard to make up
for a lifetime of evil
with a few good deeds at the end.
Tell me, who had
the pleasure of killing you ?
No one... My horse threw me,
and I broke my little neck.
Oh, I love that. You didn't even
get to go out like a hero.
Well, listen, I want you to know,
there's no hard feelings.
Sure, I hated you for a while.
But when this change happened down here,
I was actually grateful to you.
It's great to be wicked and dead !
I hear we owe all this to Atyminius.
- Is he running the place ?
- For the moment.
Between me and you, Xena,
this is one very sick man.
- You'd know.
- Is he around ?
He may be, you never know.
He can make himself
invisible with Hades' helmet.
So he could be standing here right
now, listening to our conversation.
He might even have heard
you call him a sicko.
Yeah, I guess he could have.
I meant that as a compliment,
of course.
Of course.
- You enjoying yourself so far ?
- I'm not sure.
I still haven't figured out
all the rules.
That's the great thing...
There are none...
at least for us. We have
the run of the whole place,
even Tartarus, if we want.
The good, on the other hand,
have to stay where they are.
Isn't death grand ?
Let's keep looking around.
Yeah.
How were you able to travel
from Tartarus to the Elysian fields,
if only the wicked
have the run of the place ?
Xena, the place is in chaos.
I just...
Tell me the truth, Marcus.
You were put with the wicked
when you died, weren't you ?
Well, like your friend says,
it's hard to make up for
a lifetime of evil
with a single good deed at the end.
So if we succeed
in putting things right,
you'll spend the rest
of eternity in Tartarus
with the very people
you're about to betray.
Why are you doing this, Marcus ?
Xena, I died doing a selfless act.
You taught me how sweet
that could be.
And I knew you'd do the same thing
if you were in my place.
You'll pardon me, will you ? You can't
hit what you can't see !
I take it Atyminius has arrived.
Why all the glum faces ?
I'm in a wonderful mood.
The thought of travelling
always cheers me up.
Where are you going, Atyminius ?
I understand you were a leader
among the living, Toxeus.
Well, here, you are my slave.
It is Lord Atyminius to you.
Of course.
What's the matter, Lord Atyminius ?
I smell mortality...
one of the living is among us.
It's that woman there...
We need to make her one of us !
Kill her !
Get her !
It's not gonna work, Atyminius.
Go ahead, try to kill me.
You'll just find he's lied to you.
He's trying to cast suspicion on me
because he knows I've been
asking the wrong questions.
Questions, what questions ? Nonsense !
Like, why do you get
to keep the helmet ?
That's right. Just because
he stole it from Hades,
doesn't give him the right to lord
it over all of us for eternity !
Toxeus, how do you feel about
being bullied by this maniac ?
This is ridiculous !
Put a sword through her and see
if she's telling the truth !
I might be dead, but I'm not gonna
let you mutilate me without a fight.
Of course, that's what
he wants, isn't it ?...
Us fighting amongst ourselves, when
we could be fighting for the helmet.
- Good point, Xena.
- Come on, get her !
Kill the women !
- I want the helmet !
- Your reign is over, Atyminius !
It's mine, it's mine !
Enjoy eternity
without a body, Toxeus !
We'll never get to Atyminius
in this mess.
Let's get out of here
while we can.
You going to the festival ?
No, I'm waiting for a friend.
Is she coming from the other
side of the lake ?
Sort of.
Bye.
- I need to talk to Hades.
- Reaching him won't be easy.
Atyminius has guards
around Hades' palace.
Well, we've fought guards before.
No, not like these.
What are they ?
The Harpies.
Get back ! Get back !
Be careful, Xena !
Eat this !
They're not real keen on fire.
Thanks.
What ?
- You lost some weight.
- It gets hot down here.
Hades.
- What are you doing here ?
- I could ask you the same thing.
Why aren't you trying to get
the helmet back from Atyminius ?
Without the helmet of invisibility,
I'm almost powerless.
You have got to do something.
Atyminius plans to go up to
the world of the living
and start his killing
spree again.
He'll be sending more
innocents to Tartarus.
- What did you say ?
- He'll be sending more inncocents...
No... about the land of the living.
That was his plan. He could be
there now, for all we know.
He may have made a key mistake.
What do you mean ?
Normally, when one of the dead
goes to the land of the living,
they're only a shade, a ghost...
Unable to do anything
but scare little children.
He certainly couldn't kill anybody.
But wearing that helmet
will bring him back to life...
- he'll be mortal again.
- I'm sure that's what he wants.
He loves his mortality,
and the suffering it can cause.
Yes, but, once he's mortal,
he can be killed again.
But when he dies, the helmet will
return with him to the other side.
Send Marcus and me up
to the world of the living.
- We'll get him.
- You're not dead...
You're free to go at any time,
but your friend's a ghost...
Not much help against Atyminius.
Then give Marcus his life back.
You don't know what you're asking.
I am telling you
I can't do it without him.
Has the great god Hades
become so powerless,
that he can't do this one small
thing to save his kingdom ?
All right, but I can only
manage 48 hours...
then he dies again.
Take this passage here... You can
avoid the Harpies that way.
Which way would Atyminius have gone ?
If he wants to return
to the world as a living mortal,
he'll have to travel as a mortal.
I suspect he left
the same way you came in.
Thank you.
Is that you ?
Hello, little one.
Who's there ?
You aren't about
to be married, are you ?
Who are you ?
No, I suppose that would
be too much good luck.
Still, you'll do for a start.
Where did you come from ?
The look of fear
in those beautiful eyes...
how I've missed that.
That's why I had to appear
in front of you in flesh and blood.
The anticipation is the best part.
A struggle.
What a nice bonus.
Look !
Missed me, Xena.
How does it feel ?
Your fear excites me.
Marcus, the footprints.
There !
- Where's that maniac ?
- We drove him off.
Did you see the nosebleed I gave him ?
There was blood everywhere.
Then he kicked me in the head, and...
and then the next thing I saw was you.
It's a very pleasant sight.
Are you all right ?
You look like you saw a ghost.
I lost him. He took to the trees.
Gabrielle, this is Marcus.
I've heard so much about you.
I'm sorry we didn't get to meet before
you were... killed. You're dead.
But he's alive again, for a while.
We'll explain as we move.
But, right now we've gotta to go
after Atyminius. And remember,
- he could be anywhere.
- Let's go.
Here it is. This must be where
he came out of the trees.
Looks like they lead out of the forest.
He's got a good head start on us.
Maybe his wound will slow him down.
No, the bleeding's already
lightened to a few drops.
There's none up here.
Must be a minor wound.
We'll keep going,
and try to close the gap as much
as possible before nightfall.
There's no way we'll be able to
follow his trail in the dark.
And if we don't find him by
sunset, we'll have to make camp.
Camp ? Who's gonna sleep with
that monster roaming around ?
I wouldn't worry about it.
He's trying to put as much
space between him and us as possible.
He already knows the
punishment we can hand out.
Besides, he won't attack
us at night.
It puts him on the same footing as us.
He can't see us in the dark either.
No, the advantage of being invisible
comes with daylight.
Just the same, I don't plan
to close my eyes all night.
She had a rough day.
You should get some sleep yourself.
- And what about you ?
- Nah...
I want to be awake for every moment
of life I have left to me.
You know, you don't realize the...
kinds of things the living take for
granted, until you don't have them anymore.
Like the evening air.
It just settles on you
like a cool blanket.
And the sky.
There's nothing like it
on the other side.
You know what I missed most ?
Ah... would that be me ?
Yes, that would be you.
There's something I wanted
to say to you.
What ?
My death was not your fault.
Things had to play out
the way they did.
Sometimes, I think if I had just
said things a little differently,
then maybe you'd have come
around before it was too late.
No. Xena, it was a miracle
you got to me at all.
See, I was convinced
I could never change.
But your words finally found
their way to my heart.
You did everything right...
Don't be so hard on yourself.
And,
don't give up on love.
You heard those thoughts, too ?
Yes.
It's just that I found out how much
you meant to me one moment,
and you were gone the next.
It hurt too much, I guess.
I started wondering if it was
ever worth it to care that much.
Oh, but it is.
One thing that I've learned,
is that love is the strongest power
in the universe.
It's stronger than evil...
it's even stronger than death.
My feelings for you
were the only thing that kept me
going down there in Tartarus.
It was like I was carrying my own
Elysian fields around inside of me.
There's somethng I've been wanting
to say to you, too.
What ?
I love you.
Help us, please !
- What happened here ?
- I don't know.
We were on our way to the festival,
when, something attacked us.
It came from nowhere...
some invisible power.
You're going to be all right.
Where did you say you were headed ?
- The festival near Pylos.
- What kind of a festival ?
A wedding.
Now we know where Atyminius
was headed.
When was the marriage to take place ?
Tomorrow. Tonight's
the ceremonial bathing.
We've gotta hurry.
The bride's in great danger.
Are you all right ?
I hate jugglers.
Be glad you're not a mime.
- Where's the bride's father ?
- Over there. He's in the house.
He's acting like he's seen a ghost.
- Look, there.
- Are you all right ?
I think so.
- Are you the father of the bride ?
- Yes.
I need to talk to you.
I thought Atyminius
was killed years ago.
I heard that too, but believe me,
he's here in Pylos now.
For your daughter's sake,
please, let us help you.
All right. I'll cooperate.
What do you need ?
Atyminius frequently struck
at the ceremonial bathing of the bride.
I want you to let me take
her place in the ceremony.
The traditional veil will keep my identity
concealed until the last moment.
And hopefully he'll strike by then.
And when he does,
Xena and I will handle it.
And my daughter ?
She should stay here
in her quarters.
No one will suspect that the bride
is home in bed on the night of her bathing.
What are you saying ?
Dear, I have some terrible
news for you.
It's better if you can
just get some rest.
I knew that you'd
hear every word.
How long I've waited...
to send you
to Hades forever !
Enjoy Paradise
a while longer, Atyminius.
Stay here.
Marcus and I have something
we've got to do.
What's the matter ?
This helmet kept Atyminius mortal.
He could still appear
in the flesh, but
wearing it from time to time
kept him alive.
What's your point ?
If it worked for him,
it could work for me.
Marcus, do you know
what you're saying ?
Yeah. We could live out
our lives together.
Without the helmet of invisibility,
the wicked have no power over Hades.
He could put things
back the way they were.
- What about it, Xena ?
- Is that what you want ?
It's what I want,
but that's the problem, isn't it ?
What do you mean ?
You taught me that life...
and death...
are not about what I want.
It's about what's right.
What if Hades can't do it
without the helmet ?
It's too big a chance to take.
I guess I was too good a teacher.
You were the perfect teacher.
I can't stand the thought of you
spending eternity in Tartarus.
- You are a good, good soul.
- That's the way it has to be.
- Are you dead this time ?
- No... neither is he.
Wait a second... I know this guy...
he's been dead a while.
- Well, he's not dead anymore.
- I don't believe this...
There are no rules anymore.
All right, that is it.
I'm drawing the line right here...
somebody has to. So, I'm not taking
either of you across
unless you give me a gold coin.
Now there'll be no exceptions,
no bargains, no compromises,
and absolutely no deals.
Welcome aboard.
Hope you have a great time.
Come on. Please, make
yourselves comfortable.
And, keep your hands inside the boat.
Now, looking to the left, you will
see the caves of despair.
And, just coming up ahead on the right,
you will see the hanging gardens
of disgusting diseases.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Xena ! Hurry !
I'm slipping !
- Did you find the helmet ?
- Yes.
- Well, where is it ?
- I hid it.
Why ?
If you want to get it back, you'll
have to put Marcus among the good.
If I don't tell you what I did
with it, you may never get it back.
I can't do that... it's impossible.
Don't give me that... you're a god.
Every man and woman can be judged
only once when they die.
- Not even I can change that.
- When they die ?
All I'm asking is that you give
Marcus a hearing when he dies.
You gave him his life back
for 48 hours, remember ?
He'll die again soon.
He deserves another judgment.
Well, have fun looking
for that helmet.
No, wait.
All right, I give you my word.
I will judge him again.
But, keep in mind that
all his past bad deeds
- will still weigh heavily against him.
- I want to speak on his behalf.
That won't be necessary, I know
everything that Marcus has done.
I don't just wanna talk
about what he's done.
I wanna talk
about what's in his heart.
All right, you can talk for him.
Now, where's the helmet ?
Your time is up, Marcus.
Let's get it over with.
He could have kept that helmet
and lived out his life.
You know that...
You see everything.
He was tempted, but in the end,
he did the right thing.
Look into his heart.
He told me once, that in Tartarus,
he learned to carry the Elysian
fields inside him.
Let him bring that love to Paradise
where it belongs...
Please.
You must go now, Xena.
Marcus is in the Elysian fields forever.
Now, say goodbye.
Keep thinking of me.
He's in the Elysian fields.
You'll be together again one day.
We'll never be apart.
He's in here,
forever.
No Winged Harpies were harmed
or sent to a fiery grave
during the production of
this motion picture.